cover image The Searchers

The Searchers

Naomi Gladish Smith, Swedenborg Foundation (Chicago Distribution Center, dist.), $15.95 trade paper (304p) ISBN 978-0-87785-334-3

Smith (The Wanderers) adds to her series about the afterlife that incorporates the theological views of the influential 18th-century thinker Emanuel Swedenborg. Recurring character Kate is asked to help the soul of her nephew Dan, newly arrived to the limbo-like afterworld of spirits. Dan has killed himself after having gotten involved with drugs and gangs. The newly dead go to the spirit world to learn about themselves before they pass into heaven—or hell. Kate's not sure what to do, and she's distracted by the condition of her husband, Howard, still on earth with a degenerative disease. An afterlife peer, Frank, a former Chicago cop, proves distracting. Other souls are also resolving issues left from their lifetimes. Smith writes with imagination, but also within the constraints of a Swedenborgian world view. Many characters are engaging, and a pet rabbit is a charming touch. But the villain is flatly oily, and a major plot point about the sacredness of marriage will strike some as very 18th century. This will certainly entertain Swedenborg's followers and may be a door to him for others. (Apr.)